NMSU football coach, UNM athletic director agree to move on amicably after recent rivalry flare-up

And so, we move on.

Like a family fight where things were said that can’t really be taken back and likely won’t soon be forgotten, the New Mexico Lobos and New Mexico State Aggies on Monday talked things out and have agreed it’s in everyone’s best interest to move on — amicably — after the latest embarrassing flare-up in the heated in-state rivalry.

It came Saturday when NMSU football coach Jerry Kill made an impassioned post-New Mexico Bowl plea to the media that UNM athletic director Eddie Nuñez be disciplined by the state of New Mexico.

Neither school would speak publicly about what was said in Monday’s conversations, or if any apologies were extended. But the Journal confirmed that Kill and Nuñez on Monday morning talked on the telephone at length as did Nuñez and NMSU athletic director Mario Moccia in a separate conversation. They discussed possible reasons Kill believed Nuñez was actively trying to block the Aggies from access to the the same UNM facilities the Fresno State Bulldogs, who beat NMSU 37-10 in the bowl game, had access to last week for bowl practices.

“When he didn’t want to let us practice in the indoor facility, and he don’t want us to do this, do that, that’s chickenshit,” Kill said in a postgame press conference that made the rounds on national media outlets on Saturday and Sunday. “… He better be disciplined. He better be disciplined by the state.”

Nuñez vehemently denied doing so, noting the ESPN-owned New Mexico Bowl contractually had oversight of all practice and game day facilities used for the bowl, as it has every year he’s worked at UNM.

UNM, through Nuñez, did express to the New Mexico Bowl several weeks ago that if NMSU was chosen to participate in the bowl, the school had concerns about the Aggies’ use of the indoor practice facility. That was where Albuquerque native and NMSU starting quarterback Diego Pavia was recorded laughing and urinating on the Lobos’ logo in the middle of the facility sometime this past summer. The video was given to KOB-TV in the days following NMSU beating the Lobos in football on Sept. 16 in Albuquerque.

Pavia, while later admitting he felt bad about doing it, never apologized to UNM about the incident, he said in an interview with El Paso’s KVIA-TV. He did acknowledge being mad at UNM for not offering him a scholarship out of Volcano Vista High School in 2020 or out of New Mexico Military Institute after he led that team to a 2021 junior college national championship.

Nevertheless, Nuñez said his concerns being expressed never crossed over into his barring NMSU from having use of the facility.

“At no time, did I or anyone at (UNM) deny the use of our facilities to either team before (the) bowl game or during,” Nuñez told the Journal on Sunday. “I expressed my concerns in advance with (New Mexico Bowl Director) Jeff Siembieda about New Mexico State using our indoor because of the previous incident. But the ultimate decision was at the direction of the bowl executives, and the responsibility would be solely on the New Mexico Bowl.”

The bowl issued statements over the weekend confirming it was the one making all facility decisions, including one that initially (as of Dec. 5) did, in fact, have NMSU scheduled to practice at nearby Milne Stadium, the high school stadium nearby. But all parties were informed before the Aggies arrived in Albuquerque for practice last week that they would have full access to the indoor facility, just as Fresno State did.

The bowl also confirmed its own officials — not UNM’s Nuñez — had hired several uniformed Bernalillo County Sheriff’s deputies to be present when NMSU practiced in the facility last Thursday, something that did not happen for Fresno State.

There is no planned statement or further comment from either school expected.

The Aggies and Lobos next play football Sept. 28, 2024, in Las Cruces.

UNMSU MAYOR: Just in case there isn’t enough confusion in the national media mixing up the Aggies and Lobos, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller on Monday posted on social media a video directed at Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer.

Keller made a bet with Dyer last week on the outcome of the New Mexico Bowl and, with the NMSU Aggies losing, Keller agreed to ship Dyer an “ABQ in a box” gift package that includes several local products, many green-chile based.

“We hope you enjoy this,” said Keller, the Albuquerque native and second-term mayor of the Duke City. “Obviously we were hoping for our Aggies, but I’ll tell ya, Fresno State was fired up and they played a great game. So, congratulations to your city and your team.”

Albuquerque and the New Mexico Bowl were more than happy to have Aggie fans assume the role of de facto home team, leading to well attended pre-bowl events and the game’s third-largest announce attendance in its 18-year history at nearly 31,000.

It was all in good fun, of course, but just in case it needs to be stated, NMSU is based in Las Cruces.